Case by Case: Pool Cue Cases Decoded

Once you have decided that you need your own pool cue to take to the pool hall, you will also need to invest in a quality pool cue case. The right kind of cue case will protect your investment and will make it easier to carry your new cue to your next match! Here is a brief outline of what to look for when shopping for a cue case.

Hinged or Box Cue Cases: Many pool players come in to my showroom looking for a hinged cue case.

Interior view of a hinged cue case

Often this is because they remember seeing one back in the day or maybe because their father or grandfather had one. Much has changed when it comes to cue cases and today a hinged case may not be the way to go. Often you can only carry one cue at a time and there is no place to store accessories such as a glove or tip tools. It does feature a handle, but you will have to carry it in your hand as compared to over your shoulder. It is a nice looking case and the latches make it look more like a briefcase.

Soft Cue Cases: There are many different styles of soft cases available, both with adjustable shoulder strap and without. Often these cases aren’t as sturdy as either the hinged cue cases or hard cases. More often they feature only one accessory pocket for your supplies. They also won’t protect your cue very well if you drop it or drop something on it.

Black Vinyl Cue Case with 5 Pockets by Cuetec

Cuetec does make a good case with storage for up to 2 butts and 4 shafts and multiple pockets but it is still a soft case and won’t protect your cues if something hard is dropped on the case or if someone steps on it!

Hard Cue Cases: By far our most popular cue case is the hard cue case.

Black Hard 2 Butt, 2 Shafts Cue Case

They come in a variety of configurations from 1 butt, 1 shaft up to 3 butts, 6 shafts as well as a wide assortment of colours. The most popular colour choice is black, but as a once was pool player who had a black cue case, I can tell you that most everyone will also have a black cue case. Unless you can dress yours up (with pins) to make it look different than all the rest or if you plan to make sure you always know where it is, you might want to consider a different colour. Also popular are the genuine leather cue cases with the cowboy studs on them, although I will say that if you go with one of those, you will be marked as a player for sure and better bring your game to back it up!

As a point of interest, many players come in and wonder why there is space for more shafts than butts in the case. Often a player will buy a cue (which comes with the butt and shaft together) but then might purchase a second specialized cue shaft for the cue (either playing or breaking cue). They will often keep the original shaft the cue came with as a back up in case the tip comes off the specialized shaft during match play. So in some players cases you might find a break cue (1 butt, 1 shaft), specialized break shaft (1 shaft), playing cue (1 butt, 1 shaft) specialized cue shaft (1 shaft) and perhaps a second playing cue or snooker cue (1 butt, 1 shaft) which also may have a specialized shaft (1 shaft). All told that would be 3 butts and 6 shafts! Heavy to carry around, but would mean that player is ready for anything!

What kind of case do you carry – hard, soft, box? How many cues do you normally take to the pool hall with you? I welcome your comments and thoughts!